The Rising Among Us
by theballingtwinsx
Summary: It was supposed to be a normal, simple live show. It wasn't supposed to turn into a nightmare or a challenge to survive. No one was supposed to get separated from their friends and family- no one was supposed to get hurt- or die. Now these superstars would have to learn how to mourn and grieve not only their loved ones, but also life itself.
1. Introduction

****Disclaimer/warning:** **This story may contain content that may be disturbing for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.**

* * *

 **Introduction**

" _Even after weeks since the first confirmed case, we don't have many details yet- but what we do know is that this virus is deadly and it's contagious- this isn't something that the government should be keeping from the public. We have news from other media outlets that Georgia isn't the only state that has been affected by this. An undisclosed source has reported to us that they personally know someone who has contracted the virus and doctors could not find a way to treat it. This particular patient has been kept quarantined. This seems to be the protocol that the hospitals have been following based on our knowledge. Our source tells us that the virus progresses quickly through the body, starting with flu-like symptoms…"_

Dean reached over to turn the car's stereo down as his friends finally entered the car.

"Did you guys get lost?" Dean questioned as he subconsciously changed the radio station and put some music on, forgetting about the news report he had been listening to.

"This idiot over here was too busy flirting with the desk lady-" Roman responded with an annoyed tone.

Dean smirked and gave Seth a nod of approval as he drove away from the hotel. "Good eye, my friend. You get her number?"

"Hey, I wasn't flirting, I was simply thanking the nice woman for her services." Seth retorted as he made himself comfortable in the back seat.

"You're starting to look a little desperate, man." Roman teased.

"I actually enjoy the bachelor life, for your information. I'm sure having a wife and kid is great and all, but you can't tell me you don't miss being a single man sometimes."

Roman shook his head in disapproval and didn't even feel the need to respond to Seth's statement. Seth would never understand the luxury of having a family with the one you love and having a daughter who's you're entire world until he got to experience it for himself. He almost had it, but as the rest of the world knew, he screwed that up big time. And then there was the NXT rookie he fell for- clearly that didn't work out either. Until Seth could figure himself out- and maybe grow up a bit, Roman would just have to sit back and let him continue to hit on hotel employees.

* * *

" _The exact words from the unnamed source we spoke to were, 'we thought she had died. She was just so sick and then her heart stopped. Her doctors told us she was dead but minutes later she came back to us and we thought it was a miracle. But somehow she was even sicker than before and seemed totally delirious.' Our source also tells us that the patient became very violent and even attacked some of the hospital personnel who were attending to her. All we know now about the patient is that she's been quarantined somewhere in the hospital, alongside other patients who seem to have contracted the same virus. I've heard that there's been a number of other similar cases outside of the state but the details are still being kept from the public…"_

"Ew, guys. Can we change the station please? This is depressing." Nikki wined from the backseat as Daniel Bryan drove with Brie by his side.

"No Nicole, we're not changing the station. This is important-" Brie responded as the woman on the radio continued.

"Seriously? Who listens to this kind of stuff during car rides? Put some music on."

Daniel chuckled, "I'd rather listen to this than to Justin Bieber."

Nikki rolled her eyes, "I don't listen to Bieber."

Daniel shot Nikki a _yeah right_ look through the rearview mirror.

"Okay, maybe- but it's only his new stuff. Anyway, that doesn't matter. Just change the freaking station. I don't need to be listening to this stuff before the show. It gives me so much anxiety." Nikki pleaded.

Brie rolled her eyes and sighed before she reluctantly changed the radio station. "I honestly don't even know why you're riding with us." Brie said with an unpleasant tone.

Nikki had an offended look on her face. "That's so rude, Brianna. You know John is working the other show tonight and I hate driving alone."

"Well you're gonna have to learn how to be alone eventually, John and I aren't always going to be around for you to latch onto." Brie advised her twin.

"Why would you even say something like that? You know how I am about death-"

"We're all going to die eventually Nikki, it sucks but if you can't be independent now, imagine what it'll be like when you no longer have the choice." Daniel chimed in.

Nikki remained silent for a moment as their words sunk in and caused a stir in her stomach. "Can we just not talk about this please?" She finally said with an unsettling tone.

Brie felt slightly guilty when she realized the effect that her and Daniel's comments had on Nikki. The three of them remained silent for the rest of the car ride until they finally arrived to the arena that was hosting the night's house show.

* * *

After swapping _"I love yous"_ and a quick kiss, Brie and Daniel had parted ways to prepare for the night's events. Although Daniel wasn't on the card to wrestle due to his injuries, he was still scheduled for appearances. Tonight he'd be granting a few wishes for some special fans by hanging out with them backstage and then entering the ring with them at the end of the show. Even though he wasn't able to wrestle, that wouldn't stop Daniel from putting smiles on the faces of his supporters.

Things were still a little tense between Nikki and Brie after their conversation in the car, but neither of them were focused on that. Both wore furrowed brows as they observed the backstage area.

"Where is everyone?" Nikki said, mostly to herself.

"There were only two separate shows tonight, right?" Brie questioned as they walked and observed their lack of present co-workers.

"I'm pretty sure it was just this one and the show in Columbia." Nikki responded, referring to the show John was scheduled to appear at in the South Carolina city. "Oh, Carrano!" Nikki called to grab the Senior Director of Talent Relation's attention.

The man looked slightly panicked and immediately tried to cover it up when he heard his name. "Bellas, are you ready for the show?"

"Why are there so many people missing?" Brie asked, ignoring the question.

Mark scratched his head and released a heavy breath. "Well, it looks like we're having issues with flight cancelations-"

"Why, is there some kind of storm coming?" Nikki cut him off.

"I wish the reason was that logical. Seems like because of this virus fiasco that's going around the area and it's surrounding states, all flights coming in and out have been canceled-"

"Oh my gosh, is it really that bad? Are we in danger?" Brie questioned.

Mark put his hands up to the twins in an attempt to calm them. "No, relax. You're fine, we're all fine. We've been hearing about this for weeks and now they're making a big deal out of nothing. I assure you, everything is fine." He told them, more-so trying to convince himself.

Nikki gave him an unconvinced look. "Okay so, what are we going to do about the show?"

"We have enough crew and talent who were able to fly in last night, like you two, so the show will still go on. We'll just have to make some changes to the card and we'll be all set. Be prepared for a longer match than usual tonight. I have to go finalize the card and put the list up before the show starts." Mark said then quickly vanished before the twins could say anything more.

After a couple of matches into the night, Nikki had been in her ring gear, ready for her and Brie's impromptu tag match against Paige and Emma later in the night. Their original opponents, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, were one of the many who weren't able to catch their flights. Nikki had left Brie in the locker room and moved towards the entry way to the ring. She peeked into the crowd and noticed the lack of attendance. This made no sense to her, considering the show was nearly sold out. This was doing nothing to calm her nerves. She just had a bad feeling brewing in her guts. One of Nikki's many talents- or was it a curse?- was that she always developed this exact feeling in her gut when something bad was going to occur. She was starting to feel sick.

She immediately pulled her phone out and proceeded to call John as she paced back and forth. She just wanted to hear his voice, it was the most calming thing to her whenever her nerves were out of whack. She blew out a breath as the phone rang and rang. She finally stopped pacing when she heard his voice on the other line.

Before he could even complete his greeting to her, she bombarded him with questions, asking if he was okay, what was going, and if he was experiencing the same things in Columbia.

"Nicole, breath." John told her in the calmest tone she had heard all night. Nikki stopped and took his order and immediately felt some relief. "Everything is fine here. We've gotten some warnings and safety precautions have been taken here as well. Yes, we're missing a few people too, but we're all okay. And you're okay. So relax." He advised, and Nikki could feel his smile through the phone.

She allowed a smile to rest on her dolled up face. "Okay," she gave in. "But do you think we'll still be able to fly out to San Diego tomorrow night to spend time with my family this weekend? "

The pause on the other end of the line began to make Nikki feel uneasy again. Finally John responded, "I don't know. I'm sure they'll have this airport situation figured out in time."

"And if they don't, we're just stuck?" Nikki countered.

"No, we have cars. Worst case scenario, we drive out a couple of hours to another airport and then fly out. You have nothing to worry about, Nicole." He tried to assure her.

"I can't help it- I'm a worrier." She smiled.

"I know you are. Looks like they need me so I'm gonna have to hang up. Remember, take a breath and let this all play out. I love you." He told her in a soothing tone.

Nikki took a deep breath. "I love you too." She told him before they both ended the call.

For a moment, John had the ability to make her feel better about the situation but as soon as her phone was away from her ear, uncertainty clouded her thoughts again.

She just couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hello and thank you for reading and starting a new fanfic journey with me. This is something totally different than what I've written in the past and I'm super excited! I hope that you stick with this story because although the introduction isn't the best, I have a lot in store for you!

I would really love and appreciate your feedback and would also love to read some predictions.

Thank you!


	2. Stage 1: Discovery

****Disclaimer/warning:** **This story may contain content that may be disturbing for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.**

* * *

 **Stage 1: Discovery**

As the night carried on, the superstars who were able to make it to the arena all seemed a little uneasy considering everything that was going on in the southern state that they were in. Sure, they had heard talks about the virus spreading across Georgia on the news, but none of them really saw any reason to be overly concerned. Well- not until now. Even though they weren't exactly sure what was even really going on, the fact that flights in and out of the area were being canceled, and that this was all that news anchors and writers could seem to talk about was enough to cause concern.

Dean was trying to have a conversation with Roman, something about getting beers after the show, but Roman's attention was clearly elsewhere. His eyes were too glued to his phone to pay Dean any mind. Dean stopped talking and glared at Roman for a brief moment before reaching to grab the phone out of his hand.

"What the hell is your problem, huh? Since when did you become so mesmerized by technology?" Dean questioned as he eyed Roman's screen to see what he was so caught up in. He rolled his eyes when he realized what it was.

Roman raised a curious eyebrow. "How are you not even slightly concerned about what's going on right now?"

Dean shrugged a shoulder as he locked the screen of the phone and brought it away from his vision. "You need to relax- you all do. In a few hours we'll be out of this hysteric city and move on with our lives. It's not like anyone in their right mind would come to the arena sick with whatever this is anyway."

Roman wasn't so sure about Dean's view of the situation. He released a heavy breath. "I just wanted to see if it was affecting Florida too. You know, my family's over there and if they're not letting anyone in or out of here-"

Dean shook his head and reiterated what he just said. "Just stop thinking about it. Your people are fine- if they weren't you would've heard from them by now." Dean relinquished the cell phone back to Roman and gave him a reassuring look before moving on his way.

Roman looked down at the phone and slightly shook his head. He knew very well that Dean was being way too relaxed about this situation. He unlocked the phone again and returned to the articles he was lost in before.

* * *

It came time for the Bella Twins' match that was originally supposed to be against Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, who weren't able to get on their flight to the arena. Instead, they'd be facing Paige and Emma.

As their match carried on, Nikki was out on the apron as her sister worked against Paige. Nikki wasn't paying much attention to what was going on in the ring and just couldn't escape the gut feeling that something was wrong. She looked around as Brie and Paige worked the match with Emma on the apron diagonally across from her. Nikki turned and looked out into the scarce crowd. Something strange was going on.

She couldn't tell for sure due to the ridiculous lighting, but it looked like people were gathering and circling towards one area. It looked like someone might have fallen, or maybe passed out- she squinted as she tried to see through the fans surrounding the area.

Nikki was able to make out the words of one of the security guards ordering another to call for an ambulance. She began to instantly feel nauseous. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a tap on her arm. Nikki turned back towards the ring and realized that Brie had tagged her in.

Nikki slowly entered the ring as she kept her eyes at ringside.

"Brie, something's wrong." Nikki said as Brie stepped through the ropes.

Brie read the intense look of concern on her sister's face and followed her eyes out into the crowd. She watched as security guards tried to move fans away to make room. They could tell now that someone was definitely ill.

The referee, who quickly noticed that all four divas were distracted by the sight, quickly signaled to them that the match needed to continue.

All four ladies hesitated but did as they were told and finished off what turned into possibly the sloppiest match any of them had ever been part of.

When the match was over, the women quickly headed backstage.

"What was that all about?" Paige asked no one in particular.

Nikki had jitters and her stomach was turning as she explained what she saw out in the crowd. "Guys, what if that person was infected with that virus that's going around? It's contagious, what if-"

"You're being ridiculous. It looked like they just fainted, stop being so dramatic." Paige brushed it off before walking away from the ladies. Emma slightly shrugged at both Bellas and followed Paige, clearly in agreement with her.

Brie took a deep breath. "They could be right. It could've been nothing... but you heard what was on the radio earlier. I'm gonna go find Daniel and see if we can just get out of here to be safe."

Brie gave her sister a look and a gentle squeeze on her arm telling her to stop worrying. Nikki gave her a slight nod before she parted, leaving Nikki standing there alone.

Nikki crossed her arms and stood still as she tried to convince herself that Paige was right. - _You're just overthinking everything, you have nothing to be worried about. Remember what John said-_ She thought to herself. She took a deep breath before finally taking a step to head back to the locker room.

She paused once more when she suddenly heard multiple screams. Her face flushed and she could feel the panic instill in her heart as she turned and scanned the area. Everyone who was around her froze, wearing similar facial expressions.

There was another scream coming from the ring area. She began making her way back over to the curtain, unsure what to expect as she peaked her head to try to look out into the area.

It was chaos as she and other coworkers watched from behind the stage as fans in the audience hopped over seats trying to get out of the arena.

"Oh my gosh," Nikki said when she noticed what resembled blood on a couple of people.

Nikki took a few steps backwards as the chaos that erupted around her seemed to begin to transpire in slow motion. She looked around at the panicked faces and everything seemed to speed up again once she realized that she needed to find Brie and get out while she could. She didn't know what was going on for sure, but she wasn't going to wait around to find out. As Nikki rushed through the backstage halls she could hear workers yelling at people to grab their stuff and leave the arena while others were directed to call 911.

* * *

Meanwhile, Brie had been in a failed search to find her husband Daniel since departing from Nikki after their match. She was on her way back to where she left her sister with a confused look as she watched people run in the opposite direction. Despite the fact the everyone was running away from the area, Brie continued on with her eyes peeled as she investigated. Brie turned the corner as she continued on her way then suddenly froze in her wrestling boots.

Brie gulped as she observed the pale and sweaty skin the man wore as a mixture of drool and blood escaped his mouth. His eyes were lifeless as he slowly approached Brie.

 _"...Our source tells us that the virus progresses quickly through the body, starting with flu-like symptoms…"_

The voice of the news reporter on the radio replayed in Brie's head as she starred at the ill looking man.

"Are you okay? Do you need help?" Brie questioned the man with sympathy. A painful sounding groan was all she received as a response as he came closer. Now only a couple of feet away from the Bella.

"I can call for an amb-" Brie began but gasped and fell backwards when he quickly lunged to grab her.

 _"..._ _Our source also tells us that the patient became very violent and even attacked some of the hospital personnel who were attending to her."_

Brie was in a fearful panic as she quickly scrambled backwards until she was far away enough to get back to her feet. Without looking back, she ran, realizing that not only was she almost attacked, but clearly the man she was trying to help was infected by this virus that had been the center of everyone's attention. She needed to find Nikki and Daniel to make sure they were safe.

* * *

Roman had isolated himself from the rest of the backstage population as he continued trying to call his wife to no avail. Being the hot head that he was, he raised his arm ready to throw the cell phone against the nearest wall. Before he could release the phone from his grasp, he paused and turned when he suddenly heard a scream. He began walking but it soon turned into running when he watched a handful of his coworkers push past him in an attempt to get out of the arena.

"What's going on?" Roman yelled to the person nearest to him but received no response; everyone was too preoccupied with getting away. He heard another scream and quickly allowed his feet to follow where the sound originated form. He ran around the corner where he thought it came from and stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened.

"No way" he said in disbelief at what was in his sight. He shook his head before making the quick decision to find Dean and Seth to warn them and get them away from the arena as soon as possible.

* * *

Brie finally stopped running to breathe as she bent over and her hands landed on her knees for support. She took a deep breath as she looked up from the ground and scanned the area. Still no Nikki and no Daniel in sight. She stood up straight when she registered that the area was actually empty- abandoned with equipment scattered around.

She furrowed her brows as she heard a sound, a moaning and groaning as if someone was in pain- like before. The sound was getting closer and it was coming from behind her. She turned around and there _he_ was. Another person who she could tell had been infected. This guy looked worse than the one she encountered before. With how weak he looked, she was surprised he could even walk. She put a pause to her thoughts as he came closer to her. Remembering how her last encounter went, she began to back away as he continued to move towards her.

Her back hit a wall as she put her arms out to keep the ill man at least arms distance away. She looked to her side and saw that she was right next to a door, but with him right there, there is no way she could open and get through the door in time if she needed an escape.

"Please stop where you are, you're sick." Brie pleaded as his chest hit the palms of her hands. Instead of obeying her wishes, he continued pushing his heavy body against her arms, attempting to get closer. Brie's eyes widened when his mouth opened and he continued pushing against.

She screamed and tried to push and kick her way out. But regardless of how weak and ill this man looked in her eyes, his strength was unbelievable.

"Help!" She cried as the man's saliva hit her face as her arms began losing strength as he got closer.

She felt his wet and cold lips touched the surface of her shoulder as she continued to try to push. Suddenly the pressure was removed from her hands and she watched in horror as the man was thrown to the ground.

"Go! Get the hell out of here!"

Brie stood horrified as she watched as Roman held the man down and threw punches straight to the mouth that had tried to take a bite out of her.

"Leave, I got him!" Roman instructed as he threw another strong punch.

Brie looked up from the ground when she noticed another one headed their way, this one a bloody mess. She saw something moving from the corner of her eye on the other side and took a deep breath as she turned to look in the other direction.

"Why are you still-" Roman began asking as he stood to his feet. Before he could finish he noticed the two infected, a woman and a man, closing in on them. They both looked down when they saw the original ill man that Roman's fist had the pleasure of meeting start to rise from the ground.

Roman quickly scanned the area, noticing that they didn't have many options. He quickly grabbed hold of Brie's arm as he opened the door that she had discovered before.

The door quickly shut behind them as they stood in a dark, tight space. For all they knew, they were trapped.


	3. Stage 2: Shock

****Disclaimer/warning:** **This story may contain content that may be disturbing for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.**

* * *

 **Stage 2: Shock**

After closing the door shut just in time, Roman allowed his hands to explore the walls in search of the light switch.

The light finally came on and Roman watched as Brie paced the small space, taking shallow breaths. She was having a panic attack, her entire body shook each time her heart jumped from the sound of the infected ones hitting against the other side of the door.

"Hey, just relax and breath-" Roman tried to calm her.

Due to difficulty breathing and the panic attack she was experiencing, Brie suddenly began crying and as words piled out of her mouth. "Those people out there, they're sick. Their supposed to be _just_ sick, right? How could you just attack him like that instead of trying to help him? And now there's three of them. Should we do something to help them? Call an ambulance, 911?-"

"It was trying to take a _bite_ out of you. There's no helping them once they reach this point." He informed her.

Roman stopped to think about his words and remembered what he witnessed before finding Brie.

 _He heard another scream and quickly allowed his feet to follow where the sound originated form. He ran around the corner to where he thought it came from and stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened._

 _"No way" he said in disbelief at what was in his sight. He shook his head before making the quick decision to find Dean and Seth to warn them and get them away from the arena as soon as possible._

He shook his head in an attempt to erase the disturbing, nauseating visual of Mark Carrano lying helpless on the ground as his body was torn apart by one of those things- one of the infected. It was a sight he was sure he'd never be able to get out of his head.

"What? What's wrong?" Brie asked in a panic when she observed the look of disgust on his face.

Roman broke away from his thoughts and looked at her with a brief pause. "Nothing." He lied not wanting to tell Brie exactly what he saw knowing she'd only panic more.

They both jumped when they heard another loud bang at the door.

"Alright," He began as he scanned the room, "We need a game plan to get out of here."

"I just need to find my husband and Nikki." Brie expressed in a frenzy.

"Have you tried calling them?" He questioned rather calmly as he pulled his phone out of his pocket getting ready to phone Dean and Seth. Brie quickly wiped her eyes as she shook her head and remembered that her phone wasn't on her. It was still in the locker room with her stuff.

Before Roman made his calls he held the phone out to her, making an offer to let Brie call Nikki and Daniel. She hesitated briefly before taking the phone and dialing Nikki's number. No answer. She let out a deep breath as she dialed Daniel's. Roman kept his eyes on her and knew she failed at reaching him as well by the look on her face.

She slowly handed the phone back to Roman as he gave her a sympathetic look. After failing to reach his wife all day, he knew exactly how Brie might have been feeling.

Roman tried calling Dean and was elated when he heard his gravelly voice. Dean and Seth were both still back in the locker room. After the chaos unraveled, they went back to grab their stuff, find Roman, and then leave.

"Wait wait," Roman cut Dean off. "You guys need to stay where you are." After looking over at Brie he asks, "Is Bryan in there with you? Or have you guys seen him lately?" Brie gave him a hopeful look but Roman didn't get an answer that she wanted to hear. "And what about Nikki Bella?"

Roman shook his head to Brie, letting her know that there was still no sign of them.

"Hey, look, you stay right there. Seth and I will come over there and even out the numbers-"

"Ambrose you can't-"

"Relax, we'll be there in a few minutes." Dean cut him off.

"Just be careful- stay clear of anyone who might even look infected. Do not let them touch you, get near you, scratch you, bite you-"

"I'm not opposed to a little scratching and biting, if you know what I mean." Dean tried to make light of the situation.

Roman rolled his eyes and brought his hands up to his forehead. "Dean, I'm serious. This is not the time to be reckless." Before Dean could get a word in, Roman hug up the phone in frustration.

* * *

Before Dean and Seth could exit the locker room, Dean paused and scanned the room as Seth watched him with a puzzled look on his face.

"Ah, there we go." Dean said with a nod as he headed towards the cubbyholes that were against the wall. Dean grabbed hold of one of the hanger rods in the cubby and began pulling.

"Ey, what's he doing over there?" Sheamus, one of the other superstars in the locker, room questioned. Seth nodded as he watched.

"Based on how Roman sounded on the phone-" Dean began before the rod from the rack finally tore away from the wall, causing him to jerk back a bit. "I'm gonna be prepared for whatever's going on out there." He said as he examined the rod and nodded in approval.

He proceeded to walk across the room and picked up an unoccupied steel chair. "Here." He said as he held it out to Seth.

Seth looked at him and chuckled. "Don't you think you're going a little overboard here? They're people who are infected with some flu virus, why the hell do we need weapons?"

Dean ignored him and headed to the door. "Shut up and lets go." Hee said with his back turned. Seth raised an eyebrow as he looked to the other superstars in the room. They all shrugged and watched as Seth followed Dean out.

Dean lead the way after they exited the locker room. None of their co workers were in sight. When they reached the end of the hallway and turned the corner, they began hearing moaning and groaning from a distance away. Dean slowed down and looked to Seth, wondering if he was hearing the same thing. Seth nodded to answer Dean's silent question.

As they approached the end of that hallway the sounds only became louder. Dean stopped and peered his head around the corner.

"Shit" He said in a disgusted tone then stepped away to make sure he was out of sight again.

"What?" Seth asked before he peeked around the corner and froze. Seth quickly moved away from the corner and leaned against the wall as his stomach began to turn. He was sure he was going to blow chucks any moment now. They both witnessed the tragic sight of two of the infected literally, tearing someone's flesh off of their body as they laid in a puddle of blood.

Dean suddenly snapped out of his shock and shook his head as he took a few steps, ready to go attack and stop this. Before he could get far, Seth grabbed onto the back collar of his leather jacket and pulled him back.

"What are you doing? Don't be stupid." Seth stopped him.

"You want me to just let this shit happen?" Dean responded, almost yelling. Seth quickly shushed him then peeked behind the corner again, checking to make sure they weren't heard.

"Perfect," Seth said under his breath sarcastically as he watched the infected begin heading towards their area. "We gotta go, come on." Seth said, now taking the lead. They both began running in the opposite direction, trying to find another way to get to Roman.

When they finally arrived to their destination and could see the door Roman was behind, Seth and Dean hid crouched behind a few large equipment boxes that were near.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Seth questioned as they watched four of the infected scratch, claw, and throw their bodies against the door.

"Look," Dean whispered and pointed at yet another one hobbling towards the door as well. This one was wearing a referee shirt, which left both Seth and Dean perplexed. Now there was 5. They were clearly outnumbered, and after seeing what these things could do, both of them knew it would be a bad idea to do anything at this point.

Dean released a deep breath as he tried to hold himself back from making a rash decision and going over there himself to help his friend. He pulled his phone out and called Roman again.

"Look, there's no way we can get over there. There's five of them and two of us." Dean informed Roman with a whisper. "We can go back and grab some other guys from the locker room to even out the num-"

"Nah, it's fine, the last thing I want is for anyone else to go near those things." Roman cut off Dean as he paced the tight closet with his free hand on his hip. "Just get out of the arena. Get to the car and wait there. We'll get out-"

"We?" Dean whispered.

Roman looked over to Brie who had sat herself in the corner and stared at the door that was being scratched and banged on. "Brie's with me. That's why I was asking you about Nikki and Bryan earlier. She hasn't seen them. Just do what I said. Avoid those things, get in the car, and wait."

"Just wait? How the hell-"

"Shhhh." Seth warned Dean, earning an eye roll from him.

"Just get out of here, okay? I'll figure this out." Roman assured him.

Dean took a breath. "Alright. But if we don't' see you out there in the next 30 minutes, we're coming back in." Dean informed him before ending the call.

Dean began slowly making his way out as Seth followed. "So we're supposed to just leave them in there? We have to do something."

"I know. You really thought I was just gonna sit in a car and wait?." Dean scoffed. "We're going to get help." He notified Seth then continued on his way discretely, making sure not to be seen.

* * *

Meanwhile, Roman began brainstorming ideas. Brie wasn't contributing at all, she was lost in her own cloud of worry. Roman scanned the supply closet, just looking for anything that could be of help to them. He released a breath of exhaustion as he looked up to the ceiling. He paused. There was a vent.

"Alright, I figured it out." He announced. Brie looked up at him from the ground then followed his eyes to the vent above them.

Roman wasn't sure if he would fit, but he knew for sure Brie's small frame would allow her easy access. "That's our exit. You ready?" Roman asked as he held a hand out to Brie to help her up. Brie looked up at the vent once more then gave him a hesitant nod. She placed her small hand in his, allowing him to pull her up to her feet.

"I don't think I'll fit so I need you to go and-"

"I'm not going anywhere without you." Brie cut him off. "I'm not going to risk coming across one of _them_ alone." She added.

Roman looked up to the vent again and sighed, feeling unsure about even attempting to fit. But he was aware that leaving Brie to fend for herself wasn't the smartest idea. "Okay," he said under his breath.

He turned to grab a box that had cleaning supplies in it, then placed it directly under the vent. He stepped onto the box so he could reach the ceiling. After playing with it a bit, he finally managed to break the vent open so that now it was an open entry for them. He stepped off of the box and gave Brie a nod, instructing her to go. He helped her onto the box and then assisted her until she was able to get a full grip to pull herself up. Using her upper body strength to her advantage, Roman watched ready to catch her if she fell as she pulled herself into the hole.

Brie got into the vent and shivered as it blew cool air onto her skin. It was larger on the inside than she had expect. She peeked her head down into the closet as she waited for Roman. "Come on." She told him with a supporting tone as she observed the hesitation on his face.

Roman took another deep breath before stepping onto the box and attempting to squeeze himself in. Brie backed up to give him some room as he pulled himself up.

He was half way there before he suddenly came to a halt.

"What? What's wrong?" Brie questioned in the dark.

Roman tried to wiggle himself through but he barely moved in any further. "It's the bottom of the vest. It's stuck." He said as he struggled.

"You should've just taken it off before-" Brie began.

"I know." He snapped at her in frustration as he tugged at the sides of the vest that was part of his ring gear.

Brie stayed quiet for a moment as she listened to him struggle. "Here, just give me your hands, maybe if I pull-"

"Got it." Roman cut her off once more as he finally managed to pull himself in. He took another deep breath as he remained in crawling position behind Brie. "Alright, you lead. I'll follow." He instructed.

"Do you know where this will even lead us?" Brie asked as she began crawling.

Roman took a moment before responding. "I- no, I don't."


	4. Stage 3: Denial

****Disclaimer/warning:** **This story may contain content that may be disturbing for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.**

* * *

 **Stage 3: Denial**

As Dean and Seth made their way back to the locker room they slowly stopped once they began hearing those unsettling noises. This time the groans were loud and fierce but there was another sound mixed in there.

"You hear that?" Seth questioned as he looked at Dean and slowly walked.

Dean nodded in silence as they approached the sound of a woman struggling.

"Ugh, leave me alone!" They heard her shout. Without a thought Dean sped up and followed the woman's voice as she continued screaming. Seth quickly followed behind.

Dean stopped in his tracks at the sight of the former divas champion, Nikki, struggling to keep not one- but two of the infected off of her. She had a cart as a barrier between them and her body as she held them against the wall. Their hands reached in an attempt to grab her as she pushed the cart against them.

Both Dean and Seth watched for a moment, quite amazed by her strength. Both of them snapped back to the present moment when they heard Nikki scream in frustration as the wheels of the cart began rolling towards her. Either she was losing strength or the infected were pushing harder. Either way, the cart wouldn't hold them much longer.

Dean looked down at his hand when he remembered the rod that he broke out of the locker room. He quickly approached Nikki and raised the rod up above his head.

"Dean! You can't hurt them-" Seth shouted before Dean could make the move.

"Argh! Just do it!" Nikki shouted as she struggled.

Dean quickly looked between the two before Nikki yelled at him again. At her command and without much thought process, Dean took the metal rod and wacked it on the top of one the infected's heads a couple of times and Seth looked away as blood flew everywhere.

Dean stopped as his hands trembled while he observed the blood that splattered on the wall and slightly on him and Nikki. Dean swallowed hard as he raised his arms again and repeated his actions onto the second infected one until all of their movements were stopped, allowing Nikki to let go of the cart.

Beads of sweat traveled down Nikki's dolled up face as she breathed heavily and stood in silence and observed the bloody scene.

"What the hell, Dean?! Why- how could you do that?! Are you fucking insane?!" Seth shouted.

"Me, insane? Did you not see what they did earlier? What they're capable of?" Dean shouted back.

"They're just sick!" Seth argued.

"What was I supposed to do, huh? Let 'em kill her front in front us and do nothing-" Dean stopped shouting back when he noticed Nikki walking away from them from the corner of his eyes. "Hey!" He shouted as he took hold of her arm and swung her around. "Where the hell are you going?"

Nikki gave him a sour look as she yanked her arm out of his grip. "To go find Brie and get out of here." She responded as if it was supposed to be obvious.

Seth shook his head. "She's with Roman. They're stuck in a closet that's surrounded by a handful of infected people. We were on our way to find help-"

"Okay, well you found me. Let's go help them." Nikki stated.

"Three of us ain't gonna be enough, sweetheart. Let's go." Dean announced before walking off and leading the way to go gather more superstars.

* * *

As Roman and Brie crawled through the vent space, they eased their nerves through conversation.

"I don't think these people are... people." Roman stated as he crawled behind Brie.

"What does that mean?"

"I think- I don't know. I don't think they're alive anymore. Once they became infected, I think they died and somehow turned into those _things_." Roman explained his thoughts then waited for her reaction.

Brie furrowed her brows. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds? I heard what was on the radio, they're just sick and I'm sure there's a cure out there-"

"I think you're wrong." Roman informed her.

"Yes, because your theory that they're basically zombies makes more sense, right?" Brie retorted with intense sarcasm.

She began to feel slightly bad for her choice of words when she didn't hear anything from Roman for a while. "I didn't mean-"

"Let's just focus on getting out of here. Keep moving." Roman directed in a stoic tone.

Brie did as she was told and kept crawling until they saw a light coming into the vent. They both approached it and it was an exit into another hall. However, probably not the best one.

They both peeked into the holes of the vent and watched in disgust as one of their coworkers was attacked by an infected.

"Oh my God," Brie said as she looked away and covered her mouth in shock and terror.

"Come on, let's keep moving. There has to be a way to get outside through this thing." He said as he looked away from the scene below them.

Brie nodded as sniffled as tears began forming in her eyes again as she continued crawling.

Soon they stopped at yet another opening in the vent that they were crawling in. Roman looked down and found that it seemed clear. As he observed, he also noticed that there was an actual exit of the arena right near them.

"Alright, this is it. There's an exit. Are you ready?" Roman asked.

"No, Roman, wait." She grabbed his forearm as he began attempting to open the closed vent so they could get out.

"What?" He looked at her and waited impatiently.

Brie shook her head. "I can't leave this arena without them."

Roman looked down at the exit, knowing exactly who _them_ was. Nikki Bella and Daniel Bryan.

"We'll find them. But we can't do that in here, so you're gonna need to trust me." He said as he watched her.

Brie wiped her eyes and looked down at the exit again.

"I promise you, if you get out of this vent with me and get out of this arena to the car, where it's safe, I'll get Seth and Dean and we'll go back in for them. Right now, I just need to get us both out of here. Do you trust me?" He asked with the most sincerely tone he could manage.

Brie hesitated but eventually gave him a nod. "Okay, yes. I trust you."

After getting the vent to open, Roman took the lead and exited feet first, this time making sure to remove the vest that covered his black tank top. He landed on his feet but lost his balance and ended up down on his hands and knees. He stood to his feet and brushed himself off as he scoped out the area to make sure once again that it was clear. He looked up to Brie and nodded to give her the okay to jump.

Brie closed her eyes tight and exhaled deeply to calm her nerves. It was a high jump but she knew she had to do it. With her eyes closed, she let herself slip through the hole.

Roman watched as she came down and made sure to be there to catch her when she landed. She landed onto her feet but like Roman, it was hard to keep her balance. Roman managed to catch her and keep her up in his arms before she could fall onto the ground.

Brie took a deep breath of relief and opened her eyes was she realized she made it safely.

"I told you, you can trust me." Roman reminded her as he released his hold. She looked at him and nodded. Roman placed a hand on the center of her back and began leading her out of the arena.

* * *

Meanwhile Dean, Seth, and Nikki headed back to the men's locker room to try to round up some more people. However, when they got there, they realized they were in a world of trouble. The locker room door was wide open, and they came to the conclusion that someone had tried to exit, but was instead met with the infected as soon as the door opened. They watched behind the corner as their coworkers walked around the locker room area, clearly now infected as well.

Dean quickly broke his gaze from the sight and began quickly walking back- nearly running. "We need to get the fuck out of here." He announced.

Nikki and Seth ran and followed after him. "What? What about Brie?" Nikki asked as she followed. "We can't just leave her." Dean didn't respond and just kept going. "Hey! Ambrose!" She shouted after him.

Seth's phone began ringing and pulled it out of his pocket as he ran. He looked at the caller ID and immediately stopped to answer it. "Hey, are you guys still-" Dean and Nikki stopped assuming it was Roman calling.

"Where the hell are you guys? I told you to wait out in the car!" Roman shouted through the phone.

"We went back to try to get help." Seth informed the angry Samoan.

Nikki gave him a pleading look, asking him with her eyes to find out about Brie.

"Uh, is Brie still with you? Is she alright?" Seth asked.

"Yeah she's good, but we still haven't found Daniel or Nikki-"

"Nikki's with us. We're gonna head out to the car, we're close the exit. Don't move." Seth said before hanging up.

"They got out." Seth informed Nikki and Dean. They sighed with relief before the three of them made their way to the exit.

* * *

They eventually made it out of the arena and entered the gated parking lot area. As soon as Nikki laid eyes on her sister she called her name and ran to her before pulling her into a tight hold. Finally, they were reunited and knew that the other was safe and healthy.

Nikki pulled away and looked around. "Wait, where's Daniel?"

"I don't know." Brie responded as worry clouded her existence once more.

Seeing the look on Brie's face caused Nikki to worry also and made her think of John. She quickly pulled her phone out and dialed his number. She brought the phone to hear ear and waited, but there was no answer. She tried to remain calm and keep herself together in an attempt not to give Brie even more reason to worry. But inside she was panicking.

Roman got in the car and turned on the radio, loud so everyone standing near the car could hear. They all listened to the warnings and instructions for citizens to stay inside and not to leave their homes under any circumstance. The city was being placed under lock down. All entries into the boarding cities were blocked off and CDC was working fast to find a cure for the fast spreading virus.

Roman got out and looked to the rest of the group. "We need to go."

Brie furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at him. "No, you said we'd go look for Daniel." She reminded him. "I'm not leaving without him."

Nikki looked at the guys and awaited a response. They could see in her eyes that she knew it was a bad idea.

Roman sighed, "Brie, it's too dangerous, we can't go back in there."

Brie gave him a look of fury before shaking her head in disappointment. "You know what? Fine, I'll go alone if I have to. I don't even know why I thought I could trust you in the first place. The entire time, clearly all you cared about was finding _your guys_ and making sure they're okay. Well now I need to go find _my_ guy."

"Do you not remember how difficult it was to find a clear way out of the building? You go back in there alone and I promise you, you won't make it out." Dean said bluntly.

"I can't leave without him, that's my husband in there." Brie pleaded as she looked directly to Roman. "You promised." When none of them budged she looked to Roman again. "What if it was your family still in there- your wife, _your daughter?_ Wouldn't you go back in there for them?"

Roman released a deep breath as he rubbed his face with both of his hands. "I don't even know if they're okay." He informed her.

Brie slightly nodded. "Okay, so you must know exactly how I'm feeling right now." She made her point.

Roman listened to her words and finally gave in. "We have to go back."

"You're out of your mind." Seth declared before Dean nodded in agreement.

Nikki looked over to Brie and could see the desperation on her face. "Brie, what if he already left-" She began trying to reason with her sister.

Brie shook her head. "No, I know he'd never leave without me."

"You guys can leave if you want, but I'm going back in with Brie." Roman announced, putting an end to the conversation before leading the way back into the arena.

"God damn it, wait." Dean forced himself to stop them. Roman and Brie both turned to face him. "I'm coming with you."

"You're what?" Seth was baffled.

Dean ignored Seth and popped open the trunk of the car. "But we're gonna need some extra back up. Here." He said as he pulled a few tools out of the trunk. Tools that had been in there in case the car broke down on the side of the road or they popped a tire. He handed a large wrench to Roman and then a screw driver to Brie. "If they come anywhere near us, we attack-"

"Attack the head. It's the fastest way to stop them" Roman finished his sentence. Dean nodded.

"You want me to kill these people?" Brie said in disgust as she examined the weapons in their hands. "I can't- I won't do that. They're ill-"

"They're not ill, they're infected and probably suffering anyway. All we're doing is putting 'em out of their misery. Think of it that way." Dean informed the woman before pulling out a couple of more weapons from the trunk. He turned to look at Seth and Nikki as he held them out in front of them. "Are you two coming?"

Nikki looked at her sister again as her eyes begged and pleaded. "Okay- yes." She finally gave in before grabbing the tool out of his hand.

Without giving Seth the option anymore, Roman grabbed the tool out of Dean's hand and pushed it against Seth's chest. "Let's go." Roman instructed to Seth. Seth rolled his eyes as he took hold of the tool that Roman roughly shoved against him.

They entered through the same way that they exited and it was still clear. They kept going and it was pretty quiet aside from the corners they turned and saw some of the infected. The amount of detours they were making was beginning to get exhausting. They opened each door they passed, carefully and slowly, in search for Daniel.

They arrived back at the men's locker room area again and witnessed the same infected ones from before lurking in the area.

"Look," Nikki whispered and pointed from behind the corner as they observed the area.

"Oh gosh, that's Orton." Brie whispered back in horror.

"And Ryback." Seth observed with a whisper.

"Let's keeping moving." Roman instructed quietly. They followed his order and continued through the halls of the arena, watching each other's backs. There was still no sign of Daniel and Brie was becoming more and more anxious.

After a while longer, they reached another clear hallway and Dean came to a stop. "This a waste of time. We've looked nearly everywhere we could get to. I think it's time to leave-"

"No wait, we haven't gone by the woman's locker room yet." Brie argued

Seth released a breath when he realized Dean and Roman were giving in to Brie's pleas once again. He unwillingly followed as they all began headed towards the locker room. They continued until they found a way to their destination. When they got closer to the locker room they all stopped and quickly hid behind a few equipment boxes. There was no way they could get any closer to the locker room, the entire area was occupied by what looked like to be about ten of the infected.

Brie kept her eyes peeled as she looked around, hoping maybe Daniel would be there somewhere. But nothing. She was becoming hopeless. She turned back around and started walking back, following the direction they came from.

"I don't know where else he could be." She said with despair as she walked away from the group. They followed closely behind.

As she moved to turn the corner, she suddenly stopped when she heard the grating groaning sounds close by. She knew there was an infected right there behind the corner.

She turned to look back at the others, but before she could say or do anything, Roman pulled her back and stepped in front of her, taking the lead.

"Stay here." He warned those behind him. He peeked around the corner and froze. "No..." He said under his breath.

Brie furrowed her eyebrows, knowing instantly that something was wrong.

"What?" Brie and Nikki asked in unison.

Roman turned and looked at them. He had this look of worry on his face, it was different than the looks Brie had observed before. "We should turn back, go another way."

"Why?" Brie questioned as she attempted to move past him to take a look. Roman put his arms out, causing her to walking into him and stop in her tracks.

"Let's just go." He said, almost in a begging tone. Seth, Dean, and Nikki looked at him with curiosity wondering what was behind the corner as well.

"Okay." Brie finally agreed. Roman released a breath of relief as they all began walking back. Brie walked but something in her gut was telling her that she needed to know what was behind the corner. What could have possibly freaked Roman Reigns out so much that he felt the need to run and protect everyone from seeing it? Her curiosity was taking over her judgment.

Before Roman had a chance to react, Brie quickly turned around and maneuvered past him.

"Brie!" He shouted as he went after her.

Brie finally looked behind the corner and her entire body turned to ice. Her mouth slightly dropped as she felt her heart sink in her chest. Roman ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head.

"What's going on?" Seth questioned.

Roman didn't respond.

Brie didn't say a word. She just stood there, as tears formed in her eyes.

It was Daniel. He was infected. He was one of _them_.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Big thank you to those who have continued reading and to those who have favorited and left reviews! I really appreciate the feedback and I'm excited for you all to read what I have in store for you!


	5. Stage 4: Numbness

****Disclaimer/warning:** **This story may contain content that may be disturbing for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.**

* * *

 **Stage 4: Numbness**

Brie's vision blurred from the tears that were present in her eyes. There he was, her husband Daniel. Brie swallowed the lump of emotions that were in her throat as she watched Daniel stumble and drag himself towards her direction. He looked miserable and in pain. He barely resembled himself anymore.

Brie covered her mouth with her palm and released painful sob when she noticed the bloody gash on the base of Daniel's neck. Brie took a step towards him, wanting nothing more than to hold him in her arms.

"Brie, don't!" Roman called after her.

Brie couldn't hear anything around her; all of her focus was on her infected, sick husband. She continued towards him as he came towards her. She just wanted to help her husband.

The rest of the group watched as Roman cursed under his breath and followed Brie.

Brie came to a halt when Daniel suddenly began upping his speed towards her. She knew he was saying something through his groans but she couldn't make it out. "Daniel," she cried when he was at arm's length away from her.

She raised her hand, ready to touch his face as tears ran down her cheeks.

Before her finger tips could reach his pale cheeks, Brie took a sharp breath as Daniel suddenly lunged violently towards her. She suddenly remembered earlier in the night when the other infected ones tried to attack her- was Daniel trying to attack her too?

She suddenly fell to the ground as Daniel fell on top of her.

"Brie!" she heard Nikki shout in the background as she shut her eyes tightly and tried to push Daniel's face away from her. His mouth was wide opened as he pushed towards her.

Suddenly the pressure from Daniel's body on top of her's disappeared. She opened her eyes to the sight of Roman pulling Daniel off of her and pushing him down to the ground.

Nikki quickly ran to her sister to help her up but Brie pushed her away. "What are you doing?!" Brie shouted at Roman in fear as he pinned a struggling Daniel down. "Let him go!" Brie yelled as she moved towards them to attempt to pull Roman off of her husband.

"Brie, stop!" Nikki directed as she wrapped her arms around Brie and pulled her away from Roman and Daniel.

"Get off of him, you're hurting him!" Brie yelled at Roman as she struggled to break free from her sister. Dean quickly went over to help Nikki keep Brie back.

Roman looked to Brie and gave her an apologetic look before looking back down to the infected Daniel Bryan that he was struggling to keep down. "I'm sorry." Roman said under his breath. He took a hand off of Daniel just long enough to raise the tool that Dean had handed him back in the parking lot.

"No!" Brie screamed with tears as she tried to fight Nikki and Dean off of her. Nikki quickly placed a hand over Brie's mouth so she wouldn't attract the other infected ones with her screaming.

"Shhh… it'll be okay." Nikki whispered with tears as she attempted to calm her frantic sister down.

Roman closed his eyes as he brought his weapon down and into the skull of the infected one. Nikki quickly looked away as she and Dean tried to hold and keep Brie quiet. Brie bit her sister's hand that was cover her mouth and managed to free herself as she ran towards Daniel and Roman.

Roman stood to his feet and stepped back as Brie dropped to her knees and placed her shaking hands on both sides of Daniel's face as she bawled. She brought her forehead down to Daniel's as he tears dripped onto his still face. Roman was clouded with guilt as he listened to Brie's cries and watched her in pain.

Seth broke away from the scene in front of him and his eyes widened. "Oh shit," He said when he noticed the number of infected ones headed their way. Brie's screaming probably attracted them.

"We need to go!" Seth advised.

Nikki pulled Brie away from Daniel's body as he laid in a pool of blood. She held her sister tightly in her arms as she sobbed. Nikki managed to lead Brie away from the area as they all began making their way out. Roman stopped to pick up the screw driver that Brie had been holding before dropping it during Daniel's attack. He caught up to the group and they headed toward the exit once again.

When they were in the clear again, they stopped running. Brie eventually pushed Nikki off of her and remained to herself. They continued walking in tense silence. Nikki's eyes were glued to her phone as she tried to call John again. Still nothing. She wiped her eyes as she looked through her phone for information and there were tons of articles up about what was happening around them. Her phone was going to die soon and all her stuff was still in the divas locker room. She desperately needed to get in touch with John to make sure he was okay, especially after seeing what happened to Daniel.

They made it back to the exit area but there two infected ones lingering around, blocking their way out. Before anyone could make a move, in the corner of their eyes they noticed two familiar faces.

"It's Paige and Emma." Nikki announced to the group.

They watched as Paige walked with Emma leaned against her, barely holding herself up.

"Go help them, we'll take care of those." Dean instructed as he pulled Roman aside to go take care of the infected ones so they could make their exit. Seth and Nikki took his order and quickly moved towards Paige and Emma.

Brie didn't make a move. She just stood there in silence, as she stared into the distance.

Seth and Nikki helped Paige get Emma near the exit. Emma looked awful, her skin was incredibly pale and her body was burning up. Her eyes were barely open, and she was so weak that she couldn't hold up her own body weight.

When they reached the doors, they sat Emma down against them.

"What's wrong with her?" Seth asked Paige.

Roman's eyes inspected Emma's entire body and the first thing he observed was the shirt tied tightly around Emma's arm. He knew exactly what was wrong with her.

"We were trying to get out but one of them grabbed Emma-" Paige began.

"One of them? One of the infected?" Seth questioned.

"Yeah, he just grabbed her when we went around the corner. We fought him off and got away but he bit her. He fucking _bit_ her." Paige explained in disgust. "I tied it off to stop the bleeding but she's been like this ever since and she's getting worse. We need to get to a hospital-"

"It's too late for that." Roman cut her off. "Emma's already been infected, look at her."

Brie finally broke her stare at nothing and looked at Roman in pure disgust. He looked up when he could feel her eyes on him. Roman knew that if looks could kill, his heart would stop at any moment.

Roman turned his attention back to Paige and Emma when Paige spoke again. "That's why we to go to a hospital-"

Nikki shook her head with sympathy. "Emma's already infected, there's nothing we can do. Didn't you hear what they've been saying on the news and radio?"

"She's going to turn into one of them and she's going to get violent and-" Roman added.

"No, she just needs medical-" Paige said defensively.

"There's nothing we can do, there's nothing any doctors can do. The best we can do now is get out of here and get to safety. Emma's a danger to us now." Dean said bluntly. "Hell, the hospital is probably where this damn thing began spreading in the first place."

"So we're just supposed to let her die? Are you insane?" Paige countered.

"Emma can barely even move…" Seth tried to convince her.

Paige looked down at Emma who looked worse than she did just minutes ago. Her eyes began slowly closing as her head slowly fell.

Everyone watched with surprise when Paige slapped Emma's cheeks a few times to attempt to keep her awake.

"You need to stay awake, Emma. We'll get you help." Paige told her as she held her cheeks in her palms.

"She's just going to become like the others. And she's going to try to attack you too." Dean advised Paige.

Paige ignored him as she placed Emma's arm around her shoulder and tried to get her off the ground again. "Help me get her to a car. We're going to a hospital."

Emma's eyes were fully closed and her entire body was flaccid.

"Are you going to help me or not?!" Paige was now frantic and angry as she panicked internally. She let go of Emma and began breathing heavily when she noticed Emma was no longer awake. She slapped her again but there was no response. "Emma!" Paige shouted as tears formed in her eyes. She began shaking her and doing anything she could to try to get some kind of response. It was a sad scene as everyone just watched silently.

Brie watched stoically, completely emotionless. Although she could easily relate to how Paige was probably feeling, she felt nothing. None of this felt real to her, it was more like a dream. Everything was just numb.

Paige continued slapping and shaking Emma frantically. Seth had enough, he could no longer watch this mess. He moved towards Paige and pulled her away from Emma. Paige broke down and let all of her emotions become unleashed as Seth held her away from Emma's body. Paige looked away as Dean squatted down next to Emma and placed his fingers on her neck, looking for a pulse.

Dean shook his head ."She's gone." He announced.

Paige let out a weep as Seth let her go and looked around to make sure the coast was still clear. "Paige, I'm sorry but we need to leave." He tried to convince her in a sympathetic tone.

Paige turned to look at her friend who was now completely comatose. "I can't just leave her like this."

Seth took a deep breath and braced himself for what he was about to do. "Let's go." He announce to the group. He moved in one swift movement lifted Paige up over his shoulder. Paige threw punches to his back and yelled in tears telling him to put her down. Dean opened one of the large doors and held it open as Seth maneuvered around Emma's body and exited. Roman and Nikki followed Seth and Paige out.

Brie remained still as she stared at Emma.

"Are you coming?" Dean asked as he held the door.

"What if I stayed?" Brie asked with an emotionless tone.

Dean raised an eyebrow at her and looked at her as if she was crazy. "Well, you certainly wouldn't survive very long. That's basically suicide."

Brie looked away from Emma's still body and directly into Dean's eyes. "I just watched my husband die. I'm going to have to live with that memory." She said as her voice cracked. "I don't think I can do it."

Dean typically wasn't an emotional guy but something about Brie's tone and words made his heart sink. He shook his head. "So you want Nikki to live with the memory of you choosing to stay here- to die. That's cold. That's unfair to her." He said with sincerity.

Tears formed in Bries eyes and she could finally feel something again. It was a painful feeling in her chest.

She stayed quiet for a long moment as she thought about what Dean said to her. She swallowed hard and nodded, admitting that Dean was right. She wiped her eyes and hesitated before taking the steps past him and out of the arena.

Dean threw his head back and let out a deep breath of relief. He felt like he dodged a major bullet here.

He looked down at Emma once more and shook his head at the chaos that unfolded too quickly.

Dean finally exited the arena and let the door shut behind him.


End file.
